Revelations - Part I
by KatnissEverdeen1993
Summary: Tumnus finally has the chance to tell Lucy how he truly feels; but will he be the first to say it?
Tumnus stood on the balcony attached to his bed chambers. Standing there, staring out at the Eastern Sea, with double doors open behind his back and leading into Cair Paravel, the faun still couldn't believe his life now. Even after all these years, he had never thought he would go through the adventure he had gone through upon meeting the gorgeous, wonderful Pevensie children.

They had saved his life in more ways than one. They had forgiven him even after he had betrayed Lucy; merely a child at the time.

He had been there, alongside them, during a battle that still haunted his dreams. He had been the one to place the crowns upon their heads.

Here it was, several years later, and he had his own chambers within the castle; a place to call his own. Tumnus was now one of the advisers to King Peter; spending many of his days simply talking with the Kings and Queens about the lands and the people they were now meant to protect.

His mind heavy with reflection, he never heard the gentle knock on the door. It didn't help that the tide was coming in for the night and the crashing waves of the ocean were forceful and loud as they hit against the rocks of the barren cliff side.

Tumnus did hear the door open behind him, but when he looked back into his every growing dark chambers, he couldn't make out who it was until she was nearly right beside him.

"Lucy." He said, with a smile on his voice.

"Hello." She replied, her voice not as bright as it usually was. She moved to lean against the railing that wrapped it's way around the balcony. Tumnus couldn't help but to notice as her delicate hands tucked deep into the crevice of her elbows, curled up against her ribcage; though this, he couldn't see.

Tumnus hadn't been previously leaning against the railing, but now he did so, if only to move closer to Lucy.

She had no notion how he felt; he had never found the courage to tell her for fear of risking their entire friendship.

"You sound down. Is anything wrong?"

Lucy shrugged. Now wasn't a time for her to be sad; there was too much going on. Peter had been married for close to a year and his wife was pregnant and expecting to deliver any day now. Susan was a newlywed and still in the throes of the bliss that brought upon a couple.

Edmund had been courting a young woman from a foreign land for several years and had recently decided to tie the knot. The castle and surrounding lands were in upheaval as they prepared for the royal wedding. Everyone was in a tizzy with wedding preparations and while it was a stressful time, it was also a happy time.

Lucy was wearing her hair up, but separate strands had fallen down from the pins and were hanging about her neck and ears. Tumnus couldn't help but to stare at the wisps of hair, wishing desperately that he had the courage to brush one behind her ear.

Tumnus didn't get the chance to ask her more before she began to speak. She spoke as if a dam had been broken down and all the pent up water behind it was now spilling forth.

"It's just...all my siblings are either married or getting married and I'm not. I just, I'm not sure. I haven't found the one. I know he's out there. I know that." She spoke adamantly. "Every suitor I meet is just never the right one. There have only been a couple that I've gotten along with, but they are either too old or they want to marry me and take me away and I don't want to leave. I can't leave. I have too much keeping me here."

With those words, Lucy reached over and slipped her fingers into the palm of his hand. He took this as simply a friendly gesture, but his heart began to race nonetheless. That was how it had been for the past several years. Every touch from Lucy, every time they accidently brushed against each other, nearly killed him. On more than one occasion he had almost grabbed her and kissed her, but every time he had just continued about his day.

"I know I'm young." Lucy said, with a glance up at Tumnus before looking back out over the ocean. "I know I don't have to rush and get married anytime soon but at the same time, I'm twenty-four and I'm...lonely."

"Oh, Lucy. You don't have to be lonely. You'll find someone eventually." The words hurt him to say, but he finished his thought anyways. "One of these days, you will meet one of these suitors and he will be handsome and kind and the perfect age. He will make you laugh and feel protracted and he will care for you and no one else but you will be the only one he could ever love."

There was a silence between them as he ended his little speech; it took Lucy a moment before she could say anything.

Tumnus had been carefully watching her profile, waiting to see how she would respond. He had been so swept up in his examination of her that he hardly noticed her grip on his hand growing stronger as she squeezed his fingers.

"I'll never find anyone like you, though." She spoke so softly that it came out in no more than a whisper.

"What?" Tumnus asked. He had heard her but he wasn't sure he had understood her.

Lucy still couldn't look at the faun. "Tumnus, I love you. I have for a while now." She left it at that, and with an abrupt movement, removed her hand from his and slipped around him.

In stunned silence, he watched her go at first before realizing that if he didn't act now he could lose her.

"Lucy, wait!" He said, turning away from the balcony and hurried after the young Queen. His hooves clicked on the bare, stone floor beneath him; quickly as he chased after her.

He caught her at the door. She had her grasp on the handle but hadn't managed to open the door before Tumus reached her. In one smooth movement, before he could even think what to do next, he scooped her up by the waist and carried her away from the door. He set her down a few feet away, his body between hers and the door. His fingers would have been shaking had they not been pressed against the small of her back. He drew her in at the same time that she moved to put her arms up and around his neck.

The seconds that stretched on before they kissed were delicious and painful. Even though he could look into her eyes forever, Tumnus couldn't fight his craving anymore. He leaned down and kissed her. Once, lightly on the corner of her mouth. She made a small moan in the back of her throat, suspended in the moment before she moved to kiss him back. This kiss was deeper, lasting longer than the first had. Tumnus moved a hand up to the base of her throat; he could feel her heartbeat fluttering against his thumb.

When they finally broke away from each other, still keeping a mere inch or so of space between their mouths, Lucy spoke first, "I never knew. I would have said something much longer ago."

Tumnus closed the gap, kissing her once, twice more. In between kisses he replied, "We were foolish but we needn't talk about that anymore."


End file.
